Arizona weekly citizen., 1887-09-10
AN AMERICAN IN LONDON.
A Californian Taken 10 TASk by an Eng HshmAn-Tnunderxtru

ushmAn-Thunderstruck
 It is a curious fact, and one as pitlable as 1t is curious, that but few Englishmen, as you meet them, have ever been inside the Tower of London or the British museum. renem Der not long ago speaking to gentleman from San Francisco on this very suoJect, ana the apparent lack of interest which EngiSn people display in regard to their own ooun- try. They wander all over the globe, rom the North Pole to the Antarctic continent m search of sights and wonders. and pever onfe dream of in estigating anything at nome either before they go or after they get oacK- He said:
 Do you know, the same idea has strlek me very forcibly. If you will pardon my saying so, never met people Of any eoun- try, and 1 have traveled considerably, wno were so ignorant of their native land ana all that makes it of interest to the foreigner. While they go rambling about the world TOT recreation, and can tell you about thlngs worth seeing in other places, they know posi, lively nothing about England Ask 'esn, ana see When abroad they penetrate the lungies of India, cross the deserts of Egypt and ooAln Africa, climb the mountains of SWltzerisuo' and rough it on the plains Of the lar "oSs' but when at home they live the hVes or s'eie typed gentlemen. content to pas tnen u.i) in their clubs or in their country houses, oolhe the same thing every day from one year 5 enc 10 the other, and caring for nothing but Lneir own immediate personal surroundnlgs. lne! play tennis and cricket in summer; eo Uo few horse races because 1t IS the iAsnioa' shoot grouse, partridges. and pse1ss.ntS Ll autumn, and hunt foxes in winter beyoho these things they care not a button Tor any thing. Curiously enough, they don't reaii1e it in themselves, though sharp eIougn 70 oe tect the same defect in others One or tns | men refer to asked me the other day some thing about the Yosemite valley gI have never been there" l told nm He let his glass drop out of his eye, er great was the elevation of his eyebrows, as h' | held up bis hands in emazement: | aWbst, By Joye'r he exclaimed Fancy
 Dsvar seeing the Yosemite valley, and you've lived in Frisco al Englishmen call 1t Frisco
 aow many yearsF
 aOver twenty. You see, could go any d.v We think nothing of a hundred or tWc miles in California | aWhy. man alive, went six thousand miles there, and six thousand miles oaeA again. don't you know, to see the Yosemite | mvsepf. ? He looked very proud of himself n
 as be said this.
 Look here,n said l, after minute, to k | him enjoy his self complacency, have you ever seen Stonehenger @Whatl N-no."
 GOr the Giants CauSewayF ~No.n
 aOr Shakepeare's house at Stratford or Avonl'
 ~N-no.-
 aOr Hampton Court, or the TowerF SN-no.n
 Then you mustn't talk to me about nevei roing to the Yosemite. The Tower is abou' | three miles from here. I've been there hall
 dozen times already, but don't mind going
 again. Let's jump into hanson and driV'
 there now"
 He looked thunderstruck- ~The Tower, h'
 said; isn't that the place the 'Arries go to or bank holidayi Not today, please: I've al
 engagement to drive with a chap in the park
 la-ta-n
 That's pretty much the way il Is with all o
 them.-"Cockaigner in The ArgonAut.